me today, emmy darling msnbc political analyst and national affairs editor for "new york" magazine john heilemann, "the huffington post" washington bureau chief ryan grim, author of "the daily show" liz winsted and "rolling stone" executive editor eric baits. welcome to bizarre world. ramping you for the first debate each candidate is showering praise on the opposition in the hopes of lowering the bar for themselves. paul ryan gushed over president obama's skills on the debate stage. >> president obama is a very -- he's a very gifted speaker. the man's been on the national stage for many years. he's an experienced debater. >> shockingly, senior white house adviser david plouffe had the same feelings about governor mitt romney. >> we'd expect it all along that governor romney will have a good night. he's prepared more than any candidate in history and shown himself to be a good debater through the years. >> even the candidates were tamping down expectations yesterday. >> i don't think anyone would suggest the debates aren't important. i can't tell you how important it will be. i don't kn